Fenish warns of a waning role for the High Council of State
LIBYA – Political analyst Hossam Fenish has said the High Council of State is facing a sensitive stage in dealing with the initiative of Massad Boulos, amid US and international pressure to push the political process towards a settlement that ends the institutional deadlock.
The council’s place in the coming arrangements
In comments to Erem News, Fenish said the dispute was no longer confined to the council’s position on the 4+4 committee agreement or its objection to the way it was reached, but extended to its role in the arrangements for the next phase and its ability to remain a partner in shaping the settlement rather than being bypassed because consensus keeps faltering.
US sanctions are not automatic
He said the threat of US sanctions was a tool of political pressure with economic and diplomatic dimensions, but stressed the need to distinguish between targeting the High Council of State as an institution and targeting specific figures suspected of obstructing the political process.
He added that sanctions are not imposed automatically simply for disagreeing with the US initiative, but depend on political assessments, legal grounds and the attribution of specific responsibilities and actions.
Conditional negotiation instead of escalation
Fenish urged the council to reconsider its position by moving from escalation to conditional negotiation that respects constitutional frameworks and the institutional balance, while being open to a broader national process that neither excludes existing institutions nor gives them a monopoly over the settlement.
Tetteh signals alternative mechanisms if deadlock persists
Fenish said the remarks of UN envoy Hanna Tetteh were significant because they confirmed that the 4+4 agreement remained on the table for implementation, while not ruling out other mechanisms and wider participation if progress continued to be blocked.
